Branching Path: Damon and Baby isn’t quite an RPG, but maybe RPG fans should keep an eye on it

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RPG Site occasionally covers games that aren’t strictly RPGs, but share enough similarities that we think they’re worth exploring. We’ve done this with titles like Armored Core, various Visual Novels, and even the story mode of Street Fighter VI. So, when Arc System Works offered us a preview of their 2026 releases, I was happy to take a look at Damon and Baby.

It’s still too early to say if Damon and Baby deserves more in-depth coverage. The game blends elements from different genres – it’s played from an overhead perspective like a twin-stick shooter, with a focus on gunplay. It also has metroidvania aspects, encouraging you to revisit areas with newly acquired power-ups. Plus, it incorporates survival mechanics, requiring you to manage resources and cook food to heal and increase your health.

After playing Damon and Baby for about an hour, it’s clear this game is a departure for Arc System Works. Similar to their previous release, Dear Me, I… on Nintendo Switch 2, it offers a unique experience.

In this game, you play as Damon, the Demon King, who’s lost most of his power and is mysteriously linked to his deceased friend’s infant child. You’ll need to regain his strength and unravel the mystery behind their connection, all while trying to separate Damon from the baby. The game is played from an overhead perspective and features platforming challenges, where the connection between Damon and the baby plays a crucial role in solving puzzles and progressing.

The game starts by teaching you how to move and jump. Soon, you’ll encounter a tricky gap with a sharp curve over a pit. Damon can’t jump far enough to clear it on his own, but he figures out something important: because of the magic connecting him and Baby, he’ll always reappear right beside Baby, even after being launched across distances.

The obvious solution is to throw the baby across the remaining distance while still in mid-air.

Putting the fun aside, the game immediately grabs your attention and shows the developers are thoughtfully exploring its potential. While the combat we tested wasn’t revolutionary – mostly consisting of punches and gunplay – it does have some clever twists. For example, punching an enemy before shooting will lock your aim and speed up your firing. Beyond the tutorial, you can find many different guns hidden throughout the game, each with unique abilities, but you’ll need to manage ammunition for anything beyond the starting pistol.

After loading a saved game following the tutorial, we finally understood how the game is meant to be played. Damon is looking for a boat and tries to get help from the city’s mayor, but he quickly discovers the mayor is actually a fake! The real mayor is being held captive inside the mayor’s house. Now, you need to search the entire house to find a way to defeat the impostor and rescue the true mayor.

Exploring areas involves searching for supplies like food, better weapons, and ammunition. You’ll also find keys to unlock new areas, hints to solve puzzles, and even some jumping challenges. All of this builds up to a boss battle where you need to use your weapons to briefly stun enemies, creating temporary platforms to reach the boss and attack its weak spot.

It’s too early to know if Damon and Baby will be a success, but it’s definitely caught my interest. I’m excited to see Arc System Works trying something new outside of fighting games. We’ll have to wait and see if the game is worth covering further, but keep an eye out for its release in early 2026 on PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).

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2025-12-20 03:26